Where is Kentucky basketball in latest NCAA Tournament projections? – The Courier-Journal

Kentucky basketball‘s wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt last week did it good in NCAA Tournament projections.
Entering last week off three straight losses (Florida, Georgia and Auburn), the Wildcats‘ average seed on Bracket Matrix had dropped to 7.11. A week later, that had improved nearly a full seed line, sitting on 6.24 as of March 3.
Of note: That was prior to UK’s 96-85 loss at Texas A&M on Tuesday.
Through games of March 3, Kentucky‘s NET ranking was 27, the same spot it occupied last week.
Bracketville published its latest bracket March 3 and put UK and coach Mark Pope in the Midwest Region as the 6-seed. The site predicts Kentucky will travel to Greenville, South Carolina, to take on 11th-seeded TCU. Bracketologists.com, which bases its bracket on NET rankings alone, updated its projections March 3 and tabbed the Wildcats as a 7-seed.
Here’s a look at Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament résumé as of March 4, as well as projections from a variety of national outlets:
NET ranking: 27
KenPom ranking: 26
Quad 1 record: 5-10
Quad 2 record: 5-1
Quad 3 record: 3-0
Quad 4 record: 6-0
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi penned his most recent bracket March 3. He has UK as a 6-seed in the West Region. Lunardi projects Kentucky will pack its bags for Philadelphia to meet up with 11-seed Miami of Ohio..
CBS Sports released its latest projections March 4. CBS prognosticates the Wildcats will be the Midwest Region’s 6-seed. The site has UK facing the winner of the First Four matchup between Santa Clara and VCU.
Joe Rexrode, a senior writer for The Athletic, created a bracket for the site that went live March 3. Rexrode slotted Kentucky into the West Region as a 6-seed. Rexrode envisions a long trip west for the Wildcats, they’ll face 11th-seeded Ohio State in San Diego.
Andy Katz, a college basketball analyst for NCAA.com, released his newest projections March 3. He has UK as the East Region’s 6-seed, foreseeing a blue blood matchup with 11-seed UCLA.
Following Tuesday’s loss at Texas A&M, only one game remains for Kentucky in the regular season.
And it’s a biggie.
UK welcomes defending national champion Florida to Rupp Arena at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Gators won the first matchup this season, earning a 92-83 victory in Gainesville, Florida, on Feb. 14. Florida will enter on a 10-game win streak; its last loss was Jan. 24 against Auburn. The Gators already have clinched the league’s regular-season title and will be the top seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.
It’ll be a Quad 1 matchup for the Kentucky and Florida.
On top of that, UK seeks to ensure senior guards Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh taste victory in their final home game.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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